Areas of Interest: Physics, Astronomy, Applied Math Professor Melia works on a broad range of topics, from the acceleration and propagation of particles in diffuse, turbulent media, the physics of black holes and other compact objects, to the evolution of quasars and foundational principles in cosmology. Awards: Presidential Young Investigator Award 1988 Alfred P. Sloan Fellow 1989 Sir Thomas Lyle Distinguished Fellow (Australia) 1998 Miegunyah Distinguished Fellow (Australia) 1999 Fellow of the American Physical Society 2002 Erskine Distinguished Fellow (New Zealand) 2007